MSNBC: 'Jihad Jane' terror suspect pleads guilty in Pa.

She admits her role in a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist who had offended Muslim

February 1, 2011- A woman who was the live-in caretaker for her boyfriend's elderly father calmly told a U.S. judge she worked feverishly online under the name "Jihad Jane" to support Islamic terrorists and moved overseas to further her plan to kill a Swedish artist who had offended Muslims.

Colleen LaRose, 47, faces the possibility of life in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to four federal charges, including conspiracy to murder a foreign target, conspiracy to support terrorists and lying to the FBI.

LaRose, who spent long hours caring for the father, was also building a shadow life online from 2008 to 2009. According to prosecutors, LaRose "worked obsessively on her computer to communicate with, recruit and incite other jihadists," using screen names including "Jihad Jane," "SisterOfTerror," and "ExtremeSister4Life."

LaRose returned to the United States in November 2009 and was immediately taken into FBI custody at Philadelphia International Airport. She remained in secret custody until March, when her indictment was unsealed hours after Irish authorities swept up an alleged terror cell that included another American women, Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, 32, of Colorado and her Algerian husband.

LaRose and her co-conspirators had hoped her all-American appearance and U.S. citizenship would help her blend in while carrying out their plans, prosecutors said.

"Today's guilty plea, by a woman from suburban America who plotted with others to commit murder overseas and to provide material support to terrorists, underscores the evolving nature of the threat we face," said Assistant U.S. Attorney General David Kris.

Speaking clearly but quietly, the 4-foot (1.22-meter)- 11 inch (28 centimeter) LaRose told a judge Tuesday she had never been treated for any mental health problems and was entering her plea freely. She whispered a few comments to her lawyers, some of them prompting a smile from public defender Mark T. Wilson.